


That Unnamed Coffee Shop

by orphan_account



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-20
Updated: 2013-06-20
Packaged: 2017-12-15 14:51:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/850803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"He never remembered the name of that coffee shop, and still didn’t to this day. That hadn’t been important. What had been important, however, was meeting one of the workers there, named Ray. If Gavin didn't have a reason to go out every lunch break before, he found one that Wednesday afternoon."</p>
            </blockquote>





	That Unnamed Coffee Shop

Every lunch, Gavin went out of his way to go and take a walk away from the RoosterTeeth building. At first, it was for no particular reason. A change of scenery, some fresh air or just to clear his head, maybe? Nevertheless, Gavin had never really _had_ a reason.

That was until the first time he visited the newly opened coffee shop a mere ten minutes away from work.

He never remembered the name of that coffee shop, and still didn’t to this day. That hadn’t been important. What _had_ been important, however, was meeting one of the workers there, named Ray. If Gavin didn't have a reason to go out every lunch break before, he found one that Wednesday afternoon.

Gavin had nearly walked past the café at first; he should have really thanked the woman who walked into him that day. If he hadn’t have been rudely knocked in the ribs by her, then his attention would never have landed on that modest little coffee shop. Without much of a thought, Gavin found himself walking in, noticing just how clean and new everything seemed. There was a gentle drone of noise from the small amount of customers there. It was quite pleasant, really. He tucked his phone back into his jeans pockets and fished out his wallet instead, heading up to the counter.

As he stood behind the customers in front, his eyes glanced up at the menu before darting around the room, he knew what he wanted to begin with. Gavin listened absent-mindedly as the man behind the counter pottered around setting cups and getting change. But as soon as he stepped forward and actually looked, he felt as though his brain reception had been cut in half.

   “Hello. What can I get you today?”

Gavin cleared his throat and smiled to cover up his delayed reaction.

   “Um, can I just get a latté, please?”

The café assistant smiled and nodded before mumbling Gavin’s order to another employee and Gavin handed his money over without a word. There was an awkward silence as Gavin realised there was no one left in the queue, leaving him stood without the comfort of voices behind him. Cutting the silence, the man on the cashier spoke up.

   “So, where are you from?”

   “What?” Gavin replied, clueless.

   The man laughed and Gavin almost found warmth running up his neck.

   “Your accent, I mean. I don’t recognize it.”

Gavin felt his brain finally clunk into gear, painfully slow but at least all there. “Oh, right. I’m not from anywhere near here. I’m English.” The Brit laughed as the cashier let out a prolonged ‘ _Oh!’_.

   “I wondered why I didn’t know it.”

As Gavin’s coffee was placed on the counter, he felt a sort of disappointment, wishing the man would have spoken to him for a little longer. He couldn't quite pin down why that was. Nevertheless, he took the drink with a thank you and smiled as the man spoke up again.

   “Thanks. Come again!”

As Gavin left the café, pressed for time to get back to work, he finally caught a glimpse of the man’s name tag and walked back to the building with a lighter feeling in his chest. Something told him that he’d be back to see Ray again.

 

For the next week, Gavin visited the shop nearly every other day, not wanting to seem a little odd – and yet he never saw Ray again. He worried for a short while if he’d been laid off or quit to go elsewhere. It was only on his fifth visit that he came face-to-face with Ray for the second time. It was lucky that he did, because Gavin had vowed it’d be the last time he’d visit for a while. In a rush of sudden anxiety, he half expected the cashier not to recognize him again, but Gavin felt a small sense of delight when Ray’s expression seemed to perk up.

   “You’ve been in here before, right?”

   “Yeah. I haven’t seen you in a while.”

   “I had a few vacation days.” Ray smiled, fingers hovering over the electronic cashier. “Latté?”

Gavin grinned. “Yep.”

And Ray clicked the button he’d been about to press.

Gavin was almost glad the coffee shop didn’t have much business, because it meant he that he didn’t have to move out of the way for Ray to serve someone else.

   “You enjoy your days off then?”

Ray shrugged at that, and Gavin grinned. “Alright, I guess. I just needed to take them before my new year started otherwise they’d get wasted.”

   “I wish I had some holidays left to take.”

Ray seemed to hesitate before he asked, but the look was fleeting. “So, where do you work?”

Gavin almost laughed at that question every time, it was so strange trying to explain it. “Ugh, I work at a building down the road.”

Ray raised an eyebrow as Gavin seemed to be stalling. “A building, huh?”

Gavin chuckled, and noticed that Ray had put his latté on the counter in front. As he heard the bell to the shop door chime, he figured he needed to be quick. “I play video games for a living.” Ray did let himself chuckle at that.

   “Sounds like something I could do.” He caught Gavin’s eyes as he passed him the coffee, and plucked up the courage to ask what had been on his mind the last time, pushing away any childish bit of nerves. “So, will you be back here again sometime?”

Gavin stalled for the briefest moment, knowing there was a woman next to him who wanted serving. He smiled quickly and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll probably be in tomorrow.” Gavin silently hoped there was a little more than just friendly, customer service behind Ray’s question.

   “Awesome. See you tomorrow, then.”

Gavin grinned and walked away, trying not to look too obvious when he took a backwards glance at Ray.

 

Seeing Ray had become a regular occurrence after that. He could feel there was something going on behind Ray’s words. He half hoped it wasn’t just for the want of being friendly, though having Ray around as a mate wouldn’t be that bad as far as he thought. From the little they talked, they actually had a lot in common. And the things they didn’t agree on just seemed to make their brief conversations that little bit more interesting.

Gavin found he was thinking about him more than he would any other acquaintance, but when he shuffled into the shop that lunch time it seemed as though Ray really didn’t mind, if his curiosity was anything to go by. He didn’t even give him a hello that day, looking at Gavin as though pondering something.

   “Hey, I have a question.” Ray stated as he put a latté through the till. Gavin never noticed at the time, but when he gave Ray his money, he got exactly the same amount back - but in coins.

   “Yeah?”

   “What’s your name?”

Gavin felt that familiar thump in his chest as Ray looked at him almost curiously; a hint of timidity lacing his expression that Gavin had learnt was just how Ray was. When he didn’t answer straight away, Ray cut him off in a rush.

   “I mean I just see you all the time, but I’ve never caught your name yet.” He seemed to try and laugh it off.

“My name’s Gavin.”

Instantly, Ray’s expression seemed to lightened and he lost any trace of embarrassment that had begun to show. Nodding, he smiled and distracted himself by getting a couple of packets of sugar for Gavin’s drink. He even knew he took two of them by now.

   “I just figured that I should have known your name by now, you’re in here so often.” He pushed the cup of coffee towards Gavin as it arrived,

   “Well, you know it now, Ray.”

The brightness in Ray’s eyes after that was almost astounding. Gavin was about to say goodbye, but then an idea ran across his head and he acted on impulse.

    “I have a question for you, now.”

   “Sure?”

   “When are your lunch breaks? I mean, what time?”

Ray seemed to mumble something, before clearing his throat. “My lunch break starts at one. I’m on the late rota.”

Gavin nodded, and mulled the idea over for less than a second. He could convince Geoff to take lunch at a different time, he was sure. “You fancy having lunch together tomorrow?”

Gavin was unusually on edge, his confidence faltering as Ray seemed to look around for a minute, making sure there were no other employees around. Fortunately, his co-worker was cleaning up tables.

   “Yeah. Yeah, that sounds cool.”

Gavin couldn’t help but smile.

 

It seemed as though they’d dragged themselves into a new routine with that one question. Gavin convinced Geoff to change his lunch break to one in the afternoon, and every other day since then, the pair would meet up outside the unnamed coffee shop Ray worked.

    “Hey, X-Ray!”

Ray looked up from his phone and grinned at the nick-name.

   “Hey, Vav.”

He laughed as Gavin threw an arm around him, both embracing him and pulling him up the street as they headed to get lunch. He found it strange how their relationship had progressed so much in a matter of months. Ray had just been a cashier, and Gavin a customer. He couldn’t remember a time anyone had gone out of their way to befriend him like that. It was refreshing, and left warmth in him that only seemed to show when Gavin walked up that road every day to greet him.

   “How’s work been?” Ray asked.

   “I had to make a video with Michael today.”

Ray laughed knowingly, and felt a small pang of jealousy at the mention of him. He knew he shouldn’t be so fickle, but he felt like he wanted to be closer to Gavin sometimes. And though it was stupid, knowing that Gavin just spent time with him on his breaks unsettled him. The feeling was always fleeting, however. He learned pretty soon that time around Gavin was never spent sulking.

   “I’m still waiting for the day when you roll up here with a black eye from annoying him too much.”

Gavin let out a laugh. “You wanna bet how long it takes?”

Ray shook his head and made to cross a road, Gavin keen by his side and trying to coax Ray into another ridiculous wager.

 

It was the same routine every day. And what began as a way to pass some time, ended up being the last thought before Gavin fell asleep every night and the first when Ray woke up each morning. It hadn’t been something sudden, just a realisation that settled in both their chests but neither ever spoke about. The only ever time things seemed sudden, was when the routine was broken. One Friday, Ray just didn’t show up.

Gavin tried looking through the window of the coffee shop, but couldn’t see that familiar dark hair and bright hazel eyes anywhere. And when he’d walked in that day with a confused look on his face, a co-worker must have known who he was, as they anticipated his question before he even opened his mouth.

   “Hey, you’re Gavin, right?”

   “Ugh, yeah. Hav-“

   “Ray’s not here any more, if you’re wondering.” The blonde girl cut him off, looking almost guilty that she had to tell him.

   “What do you mean?” The words seemed to cling to Gavin’s throat, coming out slowly and dazedly.

   “He resigned. He handed a notice in two weeks back. Um, did he not tell you?”

Gavin didn’t know how to respond at first, looking at the girl like he was trying to figure out if she was lying or not. When he heard an old woman cough beside him, clearly irritated, his voice finally caught up with his head as much as it didn’t want to.

   “No…no he must not have. Thanks anyway.”

Gavin never visited the coffee shop again after that.

 

The following week was tough. The whole of RoosterTeeth were having more than enough stress with upcoming releases, projects and not to mention his work load had doubled as Geoff had to go train up a new member of team.

But even with the extra stress and commotion, Ray just would not leave his head.

Gavin tried not to focus on the fact that he wouldn’t be meeting Ray that lunch time for the fifth day in a row. The mere idea left a bitter taste in his mouth and an ache in his head. He couldn’t understand why Ray hadn’t told him, at all. He tried to think of something that might have annoyed or upset Ray, but found nothing as an answer, which only served to annoy him even more. But above all that, he felt dejected and genuinely upset. The idea of not seeing Ray again struck a stronger part of him that he tried not to dwell on.

It was the first time in months he’d spent lunch inside, and with the nice weather no one else seemed to want to stay in with him. Or so he’d thought at first. Flicking through messages on his phone, he tried again not to think of how stupid he was for never asking for Ray’s number and didn’t notice the door open and shut with a click of the latch. He did notice, however, when an all too familiar voice pierced the silence of the staff room.

    “Hey, Vav.”

Gavin’s head shot to the door in an instant. He didn’t catch on at first and just stared, mouth parted, before his lips quirked into a wide grin and his pulse caught up with itself. As he stumbled out of his seat, the words came reeling off faster than Ray could even understand.

   “Ray! Where have you been? Why didn’t you tell me you’d resigned?”

Before he could even ask Gavin to speak clearly, he was met with arms encasing him in the tightest hug he could have imagined. His head rest against Gavin’s shoulder in an instant and he couldn’t stop the shakes of laughter as he clutched the back of Gavin’s shirt, the Brit still mumbling incoherent questions against the side of his head.

   “Gavin, I can’t hear a word you’re saying.”

Gavin’s excited mumbles against Ray’s hair stopped and he chuckled, pulling away a little but not letting Ray out of his grasp. “Why the hell did you leave the café and not tell me?” Ray tried to answer, but Gavin cut him short again. “Wait, and why are you even here?”

Ray stared at Gavin like he couldn’t believe how slowly he was taking it in before laughter got the better of him. “I got a job here.”

If Gavin hadn’t have been positively beaming before he was by then, and Ray had to try and hide the flush running up his neck at that grin and the arms that still held him close, rocking side to side in a way that made Ray shake his head in amusement after a while.

   “I thought you’d gone and left me, you pleb.”

   “Just thought it’d be a surprise.” Ray shrugged, beginning to wonder why Gavin wasn’t loosening his grip.

Gavin felt his stomach flip at that, and watched Ray closely for a minute before clearing his throat. He’d been so mad about Ray just leaving him without a word, but just to make it a surprise? _Specifically_ to make it a surprise for him?

He teetered on the edge of reason for what seemed like a century, seeing Ray’s eyes flicker across his own in confusion, and wondered whether he should do it.

But hadn’t they come in leaps and bounds already up until that point? It seemed like just last week he’d seen Ray at work for the first time. Yet having Ray as a new co-worker brought a whole new anxiety to the already raging emotions settled tight in his chest.

But all it took was one movement from Ray, accidental or not, to leave any caution behind. Ray's eyes were locked on his, almost expecting, or _wanting_ the other to do something. And when his head tilted forward just a fraction, Gavin knew.

He leaned forward, noticing how Ray didn’t move a single step back and thanked himself that he’d made the right decision. Ray almost hesitated, but the look he saw in Gavin’s eyes before lips pressed against his own was enough to settle his head. He shifted his hands to clutch the front of the Brit’s shirt, tilting his head as Gavin pulled him into a kiss. Gavin felt every bit of emotion that had pent up over those months come back in a crashing wave, leaving him breathless as he deepened the contact, the other more than willing. As Ray pulled back, breaths shuddering across Gavin’s lips, he couldn’t have felt his chest ache harder.

Except this time there was no black-lining behind it, and no more worries of a day where Gavin wouldn't show up at that unnamed coffee shop.

**Author's Note:**

> If you would like to reblog or like this fic on tumblr:
> 
> http://teaandotherstuff.tumblr.com/post/44825616195/that-unnamed-coffee-shop


End file.
